The year 2020 was unusual for many reasons. COVID forced everyone, whether they like it or not, to function on a digital platform. Education in both its delivery and examination had moved from traditional learning in person to the online setting.
In fact, students aiming to pursue medicine had to revamp their approach to the online GAMSAT, which was already believed to be an intellectual challenge. Despite this abrupt shift to the online GAMSAT, ACER had been fair and transparent in any changes to your GAMSAT exam.
So read on for a breakdown of the major changes to the GAMSAT during COVID, and how students needed to adapt.
The COVID GAMSAT Structure and Content
GAMSAT is Now Paperless!
In 2020, GAMSAT shifted its mode of delivery to become computer-based, without much time given for students to adapt.
With the change of exam format and environment, anxieties had emerged in students who had been preparing for an in-person, written test. The test was particularly difficult for those who were not tech savvy, as the test required typing rather than writing, and affected time management, concentration and delivery speed for test-takers.
For those of you planning to sit the GAMSAT moving forward, typing and speed reading on the computer for up to 5 hours are now more important than ever to your GAMSAT performance.
GAMSAT Testing Window Period has been Extended!
The pre-COVID GAMSAT was conducted on a single day with examinees from all over the world sitting the test together at their allotted centres. The 2020 GAMSAT was the only time when multiple exam dates had been allocated over a testing period. This was due to overload on the online proctored exam platform and the need to provide students with some control in the event that their test environment was not favourable.
With tens of thousands of examinees worldwide, it was not a smooth trip setting up the online platform. Therefore, the exam had been divided into two sittings with Section 1 and Section 2 on the same day, with Section 3 being conducted a week later. With COVID going nowhere fast at the time, it was important to remain flexible with your GAMSAT exam times and dates.
GAMSAT 2022 Exam Structure
Yet another challenging factor for students sitting the GAMSAT during COVID was the change in question layout and time allotment. Section 1 for the pre-COVID GAMSAT had 75 questions to be answered in 110 minutes, while Section 2 had 2 questions over 65 minutes, and Section 3 had a mammoth 110 questions completed over 180 minutes.
In order to make the exam less arduous on students, Section 1 was cut down to 40 questions over 60 minutes, and Section 3 was reduced to 60 questions over 120 minutes. Section 2, however, remained unchanged.
According to student reviews and experiences, the difficulty level of the exam was inconsistent due to these changes. Students felt that there were less easy questions, which meant that there was less time to spend on the difficult passages.
2022 GAMSAT Layout
ACER decided to employ a remote exam invigilation platform, called ProctorU. ProctorU is an online exam platform that enabled students to complete the exam fairly without a physical invigilator.
Online GAMSAT Preparation During COVID
With the GAMSAT having changed to an online format, the only physical equipment required to prepare and undertake the exam was a good computer with a stable internet connection.
With current changes in the exam format, the time of uncertainty had demanded the use of courses that ensured exam sitters were optimising their performance in a rapidly evolving test space. Furthermore, spending some time practising questions and mock exams are also useful to understand the exam format.
Section 1 COVID Changes
The traditional format of the exam had many different question types, which allowed students to average their abilities across the section. With the online GAMSAT style, it was essential to be attuned to all question styles, with less questions to average out performance if a few were incorrect.
Section 2 COVID Changes
This section did not undergo any structural change, therefore the study preparation did not need to be different to before COVID. Efforts such as generating an ideas bank, practising essay writing, reading well-regarded resources, with strong guided feedback remained the key things that helped people to stand out above the rest.
The main concern in this area was time management and typing. Some students were thrown by GAMSAT Section 2 being typed rather than written onto paper. With the new style of computer-based GAMSAT assessment, the requirement of typing means that you only really needed to be well versed in computers and getting your ideas down onto … the keyboard.
Section 3 COVID Changes
Section 3 tests your knowledge and skills for specific content with concentrated MCQs about Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology. It is best to have a good understanding of medical principles and reasoning along with familiarising with the content. We often find that the people that can improve the most are those that are aware of their strengths and weaknesses in Biology, Physics and Chemistry.
Tips for GAMSAT 2022
The best way to increase your chances of a high GAMSAT score is to practice various writing and question styles. Referencing the 2020 and 2021 exams provided a good idea of what could be expected. Yet, as we found with COVID, ACER changed things very quickly so it was important to remain flexible with exam approach
Furthermore, we must stress that people who were able to type well were able to get the most ideas out onto the page. Typing is also a skill that can easily be learnt, as it’s not particularly demanding, and most people practice subconsciously every time that you use a QWERTY keyboard.
When you start wanting to get serious about optimising your typing speed, start with typing some paragraphs daily and timing them. In this way, your overall approach to essays as well as how quickly you can type them can improve together.
You can also use various typing applications and programmes online, such as Rapid Typing Tutor and others. Most of our tutors have a few good tricks on how to tackle your typing preparation so don’t be afraid to reach out!
Effect on Mental Health and Student Condition
With such extreme changes in the GAMSAT exam and general life due to the COVID pandemic, new examinees were fortunate to learn from others' experience dealing with the GAMSAT during this time. Beyond all else, even your GAMSAT score, the most important factor for your future was the maintenance of your mental health and wellbeing during such difficult times. This remains true now, even in a post-COVID world.
A Bit About Us At Fraser’s
Fraser’s GAMSAT is a tuition company that was founded in 2010, with a focus on changing the way people prepare for GAMSAT and the long-term mentorship of students.
For more information about the GAMSAT preparation courses that we offer, click here! Fraser’s provided a variety of different courses, including unlimited essays prompts, monthly new STEM questions drops, and personalised one-on-one private tuition by expert tutors with extensive experience.
Where to Next?
Stumbled across our older GAMSAT articles, but looking for some more up-to-date information? Read more here:
For free access to resources covering all sections of the GAMSAT:
- GAMSAT Section 1: Reasoning in Humanities
- GAMSAT Section 2: Written Communication
- GAMSAT Section 3: Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences
Take a look at the following resources:
